“Hahahaha…” Deep laughter echoed throughout a cave illuminated in green light. The laughter was slow and heavy but undeniably filled with the ambience of elation. Like victory after a long and tiring battle.

“Success at last~” The being breathed, before laughing again. “Now, I'd like to see just how those dreamers will deal with me.”

The sound of wings flapping filled the cave before it gradually faded away along with the green light.

…

Chad couldn’t help but eye the silver feathered dark-eyed Owl to his left once again. There was something odd about Zero that he didn’t like, something about the creature that made him feel repulsed.

It was similar to the time he had first interacted with Ice Phoenixes, or any other type of ice beast for that matter, but much worse. He had long become used to interacting with ice affinity creatures, so the other owls with Zero didn’t bother him much, but Zero himself?

Disgusting.

Something about Zero was very anathema to him, and it had something to do with those eyes.

Back when Isgard was mocking Zero, rage had appeared on the Owl’s face and something in his impossibly dark eyes had shifted, something inexplicable that caused a chill to spread down his spine.

It was for that reason that he had called back Isgard, worried that one of his closest sons might somehow die. He wasn’t a coward, but the last time he underestimated someone with strange eyes, he had been shocked silly by the sight of numerous Phoenixes spontaneously combusting in flames, blue flames at that and not the Icy flames of the Ice Phoenixes. Very quickly, they were reduced to ashes with some not even having time to cry out.

It was a difficult feat to reduce an entire body to ashes with just the power of fire if you weren’t given enough time, so to see the victims crumble into ashes in a matter of seconds had been too shocking. That, coupled with the fact that he could not for the life of him figure out how they had been hit without an actual attack, made him unable- no, refuse to react as the perpetrator flew away.

Obviously, the perpetrator was Pharaoh, another strange entity that had risen to power out of nowhere.

But at the very least, he had no instinctive hatred for the 3 eyed bird and they had even been able to come to an agreement later on. However with Zero, it felt like he was facing a threat. Not a big one since his own cultivation level and other accomplishments were not something the young Zero could compare to, but a threat nonetheless.

He didn’t like that feeling at all and he was most certainly not going to remain idle about it. In this world it was kill or be killed, and he was always the killer. He had a feeling that Zero would be a huge threat if he didn’t put an early stop to him so that was exactly what he would do. For the safety of him, for the safety of his race, and for the safety for his pregnant Soulmate.

Soulmate…

Recently, he had received the news that his wife was pregnant. A pregnancy between a Fire Phoenix and Ice Phoenix was rare on its own, made even rarer by how few people engaged in cross-elemental mating, but it had rarely resulted in something special.

There were 3 outcomes of the scenario. 1, the chick was born weaker than usual and had a single element. 2, the chick was born stronger than usual but still had a single element. And 3, the child was born with the ability to use both Hot and Cold flames.

Obviously, the last one was very rare. Only 3 Phoenixes like that had been born and they were currently receiving the best nurturing and protection the Pure Society had to offer. They were special.

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But the day Aliana had been impregnated, the feeling it had given him had been like nothing else. Every Beast father felt a connection with their child the moment they came into existence, and it was that bond that allowed them to send down life force if they wanted to. The bonds were never the same but they weren’t much different, and they were all fleeting. Within the day the bond would disappear.

Chad obviously had a lot of experience with this phenomenon but none of it had been comparable to what he had felt when he successfully impregnated Aliana.

He had mated with Aliana many times, but not once did it result in pregnancy until now which had been frightening considering all the context. But it was when they were finally successful that he knew that he knew just why.

His child was special, very special. From the very first moment he felt the ethereal bond, he knew intrinsically that his child would be even greater than those who were born with fire and ice. His child will be an icon of wonder and power with talent no one could compare to.

Naturally, he was happy, but the event also raised questions. Just how did this happen? Why did it take so long? Just what was so unique about him and Aliana that it would cause this?

Out of frustration at his annoying lack of knowledge, he chanced asking the System his questions. Unexpectedly it actually gave him an answer.

Aliana was his Soulmate, and their child was their Soulchild.

The System told him that creating a Soulchild had granted him and Aliana a higher permission level, which allowed him to access the information about both Soulmates and Soulchildren.

Naturally, Chad wasn’t going to waste away the new permission level and the System shortly explained what both the new terms were.

Hearing the concise information made something that had been unsettled within him click. To be honest, for many years he had been paranoid. His relationship with Aliana - and Aliana herself, were too perfect. As such, there were many times that he thought he would suffer a tragic rude awakening like the time he was betrayed by his once ‘honourable brother’. The fact that she was that person’s daughter obviously didn’t help things.

But the System finally confirmed that what he and Aliana had was truly magical. They were Soulmates, the most perfect coupling that could exist. They were meant for each other in every way and they would never betray one another. The euphoria he felt at that revelation was only trumped by the following news of his Soulchild.

Essentially, a Soulchild was a perfect fusion of both parents, inheriting both of their powers and even fusing it into something new. The only downside about Soulchildren was that the chances of them being concepted was very low. Moreover, a Soulmate pairing could not create regular children. A mating between them could only result in a Soulchild or nothing.

Well, not nothing. There was the harmonisation of their respective Elements that happened during their mating which increased their comprehensions of the Laws and that definitely not ‘nothing’, and of course, their was the profound pleasure of the act which also could never be described as ‘nothing’

In any case, having heard about how truly important Aliana was to him, it went without saying that his mindset about things had changed. Aliana’s wellbeing had always been amongst his greatest priorities, but after the conception of their Soulchild and the reveal that they were Soulmates, Aliana had become his greatest priority and obsession, heads and shoulders above everything else.

All the anxiety that she might betray him vanished, all the worry that her connection to Envy might cause a tragedy to spring up vanished, all the thoughts about their difficulty to conceive a child meaning that they might not be compatible vanished. Aliana was well and truly his, and that knowledge gave him power.

To protect his precious Soulmate, all threats must perish and Zero was just 1 of them. It wasn’t like he didn’t have sufficient reason either. Everybody knew about the hatred Zero had for the legendary races, especially the Vermillions, so from the beginning he was already someone you had to watch out for. Moreover, it was an irrefutable fact that Zero had killed many Phoenixes and even a few important ones not too long ago.

Zero was undoubtedly an enemy that must be killed. But for now… for now… he was an ally. Only for now…

=My Flame, we have arrived.= A beautiful voice entered his mind, melting his distress like fire on ice and bringing along warmth. He smiled in spite of the daunting news.

=Indeed.= Chad replied as he eyed the shore of a new Continent, but most importantly the uncountable amount of green coloured creatures that he could feel the Killing Intent of from all the way over here.

=Aliana, my Flame. I will protect you and our child. I promise it.=

=Yes, yes~= The same beautiful voice replied but with a more amused tone to it. =And I will protect you also.=

Chad chuckled out loud.